CRMTC1 Police Photography
CRMTC1 Police Photography
Reference Classification Formula = is an additional formula serve as a reference in case of doubtful prints. Place the bottom of
the classification formula.
Latent Prints = prints found at the scene of the crime.
POLICE PHOTOGRAPHY
A. DEFINITION OF TERMS:
1. Photography = Derived from the Greek word “Phos” or “Photos” which means “light” and “Grapho” means “Writing”
or “Graphia” meaning “to Draw”. Sir John F. W. Herschel coined the word photography when he first wrote a letter to
Henry Fox Talbot.
= Is the art and science of reproducing image by means of light through some sensitized material with the aid of a
camera, Lens and its accessories and the chemical process required in order to produced a photograph.
2. Forensic = Derived from the Latin word “Forum” which means “a market place” where people gathered for public
discussion.
= When used in conjunction with other science it connotes a relationship to the administration of justice. It is sometimes used
interchangeably with the word legal.
3. Police Photography = Is the application of the principles of photography is relation to the police work and in the
administration of justice.
4. Photograph = Is the mechanical and chemical result of Photography. Picture and photograph are not the same for a
picture is a generic term is refers to all kinds of formed image while a photograph is an image that can only be a product
of photography.
B. USES OF PHOTOGRAPHY
1. Personal Identification
= Personal Identification is considered to be the first application of photography is police work. Alphonse Bertillion
was the first police who utilized photography in police work as a supplementary identification in his Anthropometry system.
2. For Communication
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= Photograph is considered to be one of the most universal methods of communication considering that no other
language can be known universally than photograph.
b. Medium View
= Is the taking of the photograph of the scene of the crime by dividing it into section. This view will best
view the nature of the crime.
c. Close-up View
= Is the taking of individual photograph of the evidence at the scene of the crime. It is design to show the
details of the crime.
4. For Preservation
= Crime scene and other physical evidence requires photograph for preservation purposes. Crime scene cannot be
retain as is for a long period of time but through photograph the initial condition of the scene of the crime can be preserved
properly.
Telephotography = Is the process of taking photograph of a far object with the aid of a long focus and
Telephoto lens.
b. Used of Artificial Light such as X-ray, Ultra-violet and Infra-red rays to show something which may not be visible
with the aid of human eye alone.
Evidence presented in court once accepted became known as Exhibit. Either Exhibit 1,2,3 etc. for the defense or Exhibit
A, B, C etc for the prosecution.
7. Crime Prevention
= with the used of video camera (hidden camera) and other advanced photographic equipment crimes are being
detected more easily and even to the extent of preventing them from initially occurring.
8. Police Training
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= Modern facilities are now being used as instructional material not only in police training as well as in other
agencies.
C. ESSENTIALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY
1. Light = is an electromagnetic energy that travels in a form of a wave with the speed of 186, 000 miles per second.
2. Camera = a light tight box designed to block unwanted or unnecessary light from reaching the sensitized material.
3. Lens = is the light gathering mechanism of the camera that collect the reflected light coming from the object to
form the image.
4. Sensitized material = composed of a highly sensitized chemical compound which is capable of being transformed
into an image through the action of light and with some chemical processes. ( Film and Photo Paper).
5. Chemical Process = is the process necessary for reducing silver halides into a form so as a latent image and a
positive image be made resulting to what we called Photograph.
D. THEORIES OF LIGHT
1. The WAVE Theory (Huygens)
= It is the theory that was transcribed from the motion of the water that if we observe a piece of log floating in the
ocean and with the force of the air would naturally will make the log move up and down.
All these theories are still considered to be of little lacking that law enforcement need not to be very focus on
this but rather go along with the accepted conclusion that light is a form of energy, which is electromagnetic in form.
Light wavelength is the distance measured between two (2) successive crest or through of wave and it is expressed in
either Millimicron (nanometer) or Angstrom. Millimicron is the units of light wavelength which is equivalent to one-millionth
part of a millimeter which the Angstrom is relatively smaller for it has an equivalent measurement of ten (10) millionth part of a
millimeter.
Once light hits a certain medium, its action can be characterized as either: Reflected, Transmitted or Absorbed (RAT).
Reflected once the light hits a mirror and it bounce back. Transmitted when the light hits a transparent glass which would allow
the light to pass through its medium and Absorbed when the light hits a dark colored object and prevents it from either bouncing
or passing through.
Isaac Newton in 1666 proved that the light which men see as white light is actually a mixture of all colors of the spectrum.
This is produced when we allow light to hit a glass prism (Sharp Edge of the Glass). A rainbow array will then be shown with colors
red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet colors (from top to bottom). The visible light is also said of have a wavelength of
between 400-700 millimicron or nanometer.
1. Types of Light
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a. Visible Light
= Is the type of light that produces different sensation when reach the human eye. It is the type of light, which
is capable of exciting the retina of the human eye.
b. Invisible Light
= lights in which their wavelength are either too short or too long to excite the retina of the human eye i.e. X-
ray, Ultrat-violet and Infra-red lights.
2. Photographic Rays
a. X-ray
=Light with the wavelength between .01 to 30 millimicrons. It is produced by passing an electric current through a
special type of vacuum tube. It was incidentally discovered by Conrad Welhelm Roentgen. This type of light works in the
principle of shadow photography.
c. Visible Light
= It refers to the type of radiation having a wavelength of 400 to 700 millimicrons designed for ordinary photographing
purposes.
3. Light Source
A. Natural Light= are those light which come to existence without the intervention of man e.i. Sunlight, moonlight
and starlight.
1. Bright Sunlight
= object in an open space casts a deep and uniform shadow and the object appears glossy.
2. Hazy Sunlight
= object in an open space casts a transparent or bluish shadow. This is due to thin clouds that cover the sun.
3. Dull Sunlight
= object in an open space cast no shadow due to thick clouds covering the sun.
Daylight may still be classified as: open space bright sunlight, under shade bright sunlight, hazy sunlight, cloudy
sunlight and cloudy dull sunlight.
These conditions and their colors affect the appearance of the object being photograph. Factors such as
atmospheric vapor, atmospheric dust and quality of the reflected light coming and not coming from the source should
likewise be considered.
B. Artificial Light = otherwise known as man-made light e.g. fluorescent bulb, incandescent bulb and photoflood lamp.
1. Continuous radiation
Photoflood lamp= is likewise known as Reflectorized light or Spot light. It is a light with a reflector at the back
which focus the light to the object the common wattages of this lamp is 500 watts.
Flourescent Lamp = are tube lamps in which the walls are coated with fluorescent powders with both ends is
mounted with a holder that serves as the reflector. This is commonly used by everybody more than it is used in
photographing.
Incandescent bulb = are bulb with a wire filament connecting two wires which sustain the electrical charge
that produces the light. Everybody likewise commonly uses this although it is more expensive in terms of electrical
consumptions.
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Infra-red Lamp
Ultra-violet Lamp
Electronic Flash = produces light by an instantaneous electrical in charges between two electrodes in a gas
filled glass bulbs. The electrical energy for the discharge is kept in capacitor or condenser. It usually ranges from
1/300 second and 1/5000 second, and because of this, subject in fast motion can be arrested or stopped in the
photographs.
4. SENSITIZED MATERIAL
= It refers to the film and photographic paper that basically composed of emulsion containing Silver Halides suspended
in gelatin and coated on a transparent or reflective support.
Parts of the Sensitized Material
1. Emulsion = is that part of the film or photographic paper which contains the silver grains which is the one sensitive
to light. In a colored film this emulsion surface can be composed of three layers (Blue, Green and Red) with filters
intervening.
2. Anti Halation Backing = is the one designed to hold back the light and prevents halation.
3. Base = Support the emulsion
I. Types of Film
A. According to Use
1. Black and White Film = usually represented by a prefix or a suffix “Pan” or “Ortho” and
generally used in black and white photography. Examples are Ortholith film, Tri X-Pan and Pan
X-plus.
2. Colored Film = can be divided into two: the Negative type and the reversal type of colored film.
The former is usually having names ending in color while the word chrome represents the latter.
e.g. Blue sensitive film, Ultra-violet film, Infra-red film, Orthochromatic film and
Panchromatic film.
B. According to Spectral Sensitivity
Spectral sensitivity = is the responsiveness of the film emulsion to the different wavelength of the light
course.
1. Blue – Sensitive film = sensitive to U.V. light and Blue Color.
2. Orthochromatic Film = Sensitive to U.V. Light up to the green. ( popular in the marker as
KODALITH FILM)
3. Panchromatic film = Sensitive to U.V. Light up to red (sensitive to all colors of the visible light)
3.1. Process Panchromatic film = permit short exposures under average lighting
condition and has the advantage of the grain structure.
3.2. Grain Panchromatic film
3.3. High Speed Panchromatic film designed originally for photographing object under
adverse lighting condition.
4. Infra-red Film = Sensitive to all colors and to infra-red light.
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Din 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33 etc.
3. ISO (International Standard Organization) expressed as combination of ASA and DIN rating.
5. CAMERA
Is a light tight box with light gathering device and a means of blocking unwanted or unnecessary light from reaching the
sensitized material.
Basically, camera can produce image with its four-(4) basic parts such as light tight box, lens, and shutter, Holder of
sensitized material.
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4. Holder of the sensitized material – located at the opposite side of the lens designed to hold firmly the sensitized material
to prevent the formation of the multiple or blurred image
5. View finder – designed to determine the field of view of the camera or the extent of the coverage of the given lens
1/1 1/2 1/4 1/8 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 1/500 etc.
The speed number in the left is always two times powerful in terms of light gathering than that of the right number
Using a fast shutter speed the photographer can stop or “freeze” the action of a person provided that necessary
adjustment on the lens opening be made in order to maintain normal exposure.
D. Lens Aperture = the ratio between the diameter of the whole lens in relation to the focal length of the lens. It
is the light gathering power of the lens. Otherwise known as lens opening or relative aperture and it is
expressed in F-number.
If the objective of a photographer is obtain the widest possible coverage of the lens in which objects are all sharp, It will
be advisable to used a smaller lens opening.
E. Focusing = is that mechanism of a camera designed to control the degree of sharpness of the object to be
photograph. It is usually obtained by estimating the distance from the camera and that of the object that will
make a sharp or clear image.
3. Scale Bed
Estimating the distance of the object and adjusting the camera control based on his estimation do this.
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5. LENS
= It is the image-forming device of the lens that actually has a greater effect on the quality of the image to be formed.
= a medium or system which converge or diverge light rays passing through it to form an image.
= Can be a glass or transparent material, which permit light to pass through and change the direction of light.
CLASSIFICATION OF LENSES
1. According to the type of image to be produced
a. Positive or Convex Lens (Converging Lens) Characterized by the fact that it is thicker at the center and thinner
at the side which is capable of bending the light together and forms the image inversely.
b. Negative or Concave Lens (diverging Lens) Characterized by the fact that it is thinner at the center and thicker
at the side and forms the virtual image on the same side of the lens.
2. According to Degree of Corrections
a. Meniscus Lens = lens that has no correction.
b. Rapid Rectilinear Lens – lens corrected of distortion
c. Anastigmat Lens – correcting astigmatism
d. Achromatic Lens – correcting chromatic aberration
e. Apochromatic Lens – correcting both astigmatism and chromatic aberration
INHERRRENT LENS DEFECTS
1. Spherical Aberration= Inability of the lens to focus light passing the side of the lens producing an image that is sharp in
the center and blurred at the side.
2. Coma = (Also known as lateral aberration) = Inability of the lens to focus light that travels straight or lateral, thus making
it blurred while the light reaching the lens oblique is the one the is transmitted sharp.
3. Curvature of Field = the relation of the images of the different point are incorrect with respect to one another.
4. Distortion = Is a defect in shape not in sharpness. It can either be Pincushion distortion (curving inward) or Barrel
(curving outward).
5. Chromatic Aberration = Inability of the lens to focus light of varying wavelength. The lens refracts rays of short
wavelength more strongly than those of longer wavelength and therefore bringing blue rays to a shorter focus than
the red.
6. Astigmatism= is a form of lens defects in which the horizontal and vertical axis are not equally magnified. Inability of
the lens to focus both horizontal and vertical lines.
7. Chromatic Difference of Magnification
8. Flares = condition of the lens producing multiple images.
LENS CHARACTERISTICS
1. Focal Length – is the distance measured from the optical center of the lens is set to focus at infinite position. As
according to focal lenses may be classified as:
a. Wide Angle or Short Focus = with focal length not longer than the diagonal half of the negative. Useful in taking
photograph at short distance with wider area coverage.
b. Normal or Medium Focus = with focal length approximately equal but not longer than twice the diagonal half
of the negative.
c. Long or Telephoto Lens = with focal length longer than twice the diagonal half of the negative. Best used in
long distance photographing but with narrow area coverage.
d. ZOOM lens = lens with variable focal length or that which can be adjusted continuously by the movement of one
or more elements in the lens system.
2. Relative Aperture – the light gathering power of the lens expressed in F-number
a. Depth of Field – is the distance measured from the nearest to the farthest object in apparent sharp focus when
the lens
b. Hyperfocal distance = Is the nearest distance at which when a lens is focused with a given particular diaphragm
opening will gives the maximum depth of field.
3. Focusing = is the setting of the proper distance in order to form a sharp image. The one that controls the degree of
sharpness of the object.
6. CHEMICAL PROCESS
b. Stop bath = normally composed of water with little amount of dilute acetic acid that serves as a means to
prevent contamination between the developer and the acid fixer.
c. Fixation = Is the process by which all unexposed silver halides are dissolved or removed from the emulsion
surface and making the image more permanent.
Sodium Thiosulfate (hypo) is the main fixing agent that dissolves unexposed silver halides.
Dodging = is the process of eliminating unwanted portion of the negative during enlarging.
Cropping = is the process of omitting an object during the process of enlarging and printing.
Vignetting = is the gradual fading of the image towards the side through skillful adjustment on the dodging board.
Dye toning = is the process designed in changing the color tone of the photograph.
Burning-In = refers to additional exposure on a desired portion of the negative used for purposes of making a balance
exposure.
FORENSIC BALLISTICS
Ballistics is the science of the motion of the projectile and the condition that affects their motion. It is a science in itself
for it is an orderly arranged knowledge, which is a product of series of experimentation, observation and testing. Ballistics is not
an exact science rather it is applied physics or applied science, which is subject to changes and improvement depending upon
the demands of the modern civilization.
Motion refers to the mobility or movement of the projectile from the time it leaves the shell empty, it leaves the gun
muzzle and until it reach its target or fall in the ground.
A projectile is any metallic on non-metallic ball which is propelled from a firearm. Its motion can be categories into three
general types: Direct motion, Rotatory motion and Translation motion.
3 Types of Motion
1. Direct Motion = is the forward motion of the bullet or shots out of the shell by the action of the expansive force of gases
from a burning gunpowder.
2. Rotatory motion = is the action of the bullet passing through a rifled bore barrel firearm which is either twisted to the left
or to the right.
3. Translational = is the action of bullet once it hits a target and subsequently ricocheted.
The term also said to have been derived from the Roman war machine called “Ballista”, a gigantic catapult that was
used to furl missiles or large object at a distance like stone, dead animal or even dead person.
The study of Ballistics in the early age is divided into (3) three Divisions: Internal Ballistics, Exterior or External Ballistics
and Terminal Ballistics. From the time the gun was fired until it reach the target and have its maximum effect. At present ballistics
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